If your digestion isn’t in order, the chances are you also experience at least two of these symptoms:

-Bloating

-Tiredness

-Heart burn or indigestion

-Food allergies

-Nausea

-Skin breakouts

-Skin conditions like eczema, rosacea, acne or psoriasis 

-Weight gains

-Constipation or loose stools

-Flatulence or belching

-Parasites or Candida

-Weak nails and hair

Poor digestion is awful and sadly unless something is done about it, it may only get worse with time.

Have you ever said...

“I used to be able to eat anything” or 

“I never had to exercise to stay in shape” or

“My baby weight never went away” or

“My digestion is not what it used to be”?

[Personally, I’m guilty of all the above, especially when I have the below reference taken circa 2013.]

If you want something done about this digestion of yours (btw it’s not the same as metabolism- you can eliminate quickly and stay slim but it still doesn’t mean that you’re making the most out of your food and assimilating the goodness), the first thing you must do is begin eating consciously.

Easier said than done? 

Nope, it’s very very easy to do. Continue reading for my top tip that works every single time and is actually fun...

But first I’d like to paint you a picture of what happens when you DON’T eat consciously.

I bet there’s been a time that you’ve taken your sandwich to your desk and swallowed it so fast, you weren’t sure if you even tasted it, let alone felt any satisfaction. 

You certainly were a bit annoyed at yourself for spending money on yet another lunch you don’t remember eating. 

I mean- how did it disappear from your plate? Wait, maybe someone played a trick on you and you haven’t even taken a bite! Mmmm maybe not.

Suddenly you feel bloated. Dissatisfied, irritated and bloated. Awesome combo.

What actually happened when you swallowed that sandwich is that it got dumped into your stomach without any warning, without the host having a chance to get the space ready for it, in fact it squashed the host unconscious, confused the whole digestive system so it stopped operating altogether. Your body’s alarm went off to send signals of there being something wrong and the only way it knew to communicate that was by making you bloat.

You didn’t respond to those cries so it gave you a headache.

You blocked out the headache with a painkiller so it gave you visible red patches on your neck and breakouts on your chin.

You covered them up with concealer so it gave you extra love handles you couldn’t cover up.

You told yourself that next time you’ll just skip lunch to which you immediately felt an inflammation response.

Now your joints hurt.

WTF? Surely that’s got nothing to do with a sandwich!

And why do you feel so tired when food is supposed to give you energy?

Now let’s rewind for a moment and try that again...

You unwrap your sandwich, feeling good within yourself that you got up to go out and buy it, feeling proud that you got at least a little movement into your day.

You start to breathe deeper with that thought of gratitude.

In turn you begin to relax and even get a whiff of the deliciousness you’re about to enjoy.

You begin to salivate.

You take a small bite and you chew chew chew.

Your brain then sends the message to your stomach (the host) that food is coming so it starts to tidy up and pump out the welcoming mat (hydrochloride acid).

The food slides down with joy, lands not in a dry sad desert but a fun pool of digestive juices.

It breaks down effortlessly, without the need for your body to spend any more precious energy, so you feel like you have lots of energy to actually do some work.

Minerals, nutrients and vitamins then spark into fireworks that go straight to the cells which need them most, while the remains take a different route towards easy elimination.

No arguments, no confusion, no need for setting off any alarms, everyone knows their role and they get on with doing their thing so you can get on with doing your thing.

So next time you’d like scene #2 instead, next time you’d prefer to feel alive, energised, relaxed, bloat free and happy within yourself for eating consciously, try this tip:

Imagine that while you’re eating that sandwich, a hidden camera is projecting your every move onto a National News channel! Your face is on everyone’s screen for millions to watch you eat. 

The Royal family watch the news too, you know :)

P.S. I touch on the topic of digestion and often discuss it in depth at every single one of my workshops. You can bet that I'll be covering this topic in the next classes 'Easy raw lunches that kids will love' and 'How to eat for beautiful skin'. All classes can be booked via this link: https://tanyasliving.com/collections/workshops-and-events